Folic Acid, its Analogs and Antagonists

Fifty years after: some experiences of the medical care of prisoners of war

Mention is made of Italian prisoners-of-war treated in Catterick military hospital but in October 1943 Italy joined the Allied side. An account is given of the medical condition of 78 Japanese POWs and of 228 members of the Japanese Indian Forces (JIFs) in a transit hospital in eastern India (now Bangladesh). Tropical sprue appeared to occur in an epidemic form each June and July in Burma and eastern India, but did not seem to have affected the Japanese or JIFs. A brief account is given of the condition of 180 European or Australian service men who had survived harsh conditions in Japanese POW camps until liberation in September 1945, then being admitted to a military hospital in Rangoon en route for home. Some had suffered from blindness as a result of malnutrition, the precise reason being uncertain, but there was some improvement after the injection of crude liver extract.

Effect of Tween 80 on incubation period of Lactobacillus casei assay of serum folate

Contamination of folic acid assay medium with oleate led to a lag phase when Lactobacillus casei cultures were grown on folic acid but not when whole serum provided the folate source. This led to high assay values when using 20-hour incubation periods but satisfactory results were obtained after 48 hours' incubation. The addition of Tween 80 to the medium eliminated the lag phase and the assay results were consistent after 13, 24, and 48 hours' incubation.

Oral contraceptives and vitamins: a review

The literature concerning the influence of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives on vitamins is reviewed. The appearance of an elevated plasma concentration of vitamin A is probably without clinical importance, while there seems to be a clear connection between disturbances of vitamin B6 metabolism and mental symptoms. Low levels of folic acid and vitamin B12 have also been noted. Despite this, it is very rare that hematologic abnormalities develop during hormonal contraception. A reduced concentration of vitamin C in plasma and blood corpuscles has been reported. The clinical significance of these alterations is unknown.

Reversible absorptive defects in anticonvulsant megaloblastic anaemia

Two cases of anticonvulsant megaloblastic anaemia are described, showing features of unusual interest. Though both cases were apparently deficient in folic acid, the Figlu tests were negative. One patient had an extremely low serum B(12) concentration apparently associated with defective B(12) absorption due to deficiency of intrinsic factor, and both showed impaired intestinal absorption of D-xylose. There was, however, no evidence of permanent gastro-intestinal dysfunction, and the absorptive defects disappeared completely after treatment with folic acid. Possible reasons for the findings are discussed. It is suggested that absorptive defects produced by the drugs may play some part in initiating anticonvulsant megaloblastic anaemia, and that once deficiencies of haemopoietic factors are established, a vicious circle may be set up owing to the effects of these deficiencies on the gastro-intestinal tract.